Ice Gear

My friend was heading off on a ice climbing adventure and was missing some gear, so we decided to sew it ourselves. We started with the leash:

Ice Axe Leash custom Cordura nylon case for ice climbing crampons

This is pretty basic 1″ tubular “climb-spec” webbing from REI, with a loop sewn on either end with T-92 nylon thread. The larger loop has triple-strength elastic sewn inside it to snug down on the wrist.  Despite how much everyone likes to whinge about using home-made gear in safety-of-life applications, in this case it was DIY or do without.

Next was the crampon bag: Cordura nylon in 1000 denier with a simple double-velcro closure and a single carry handle/anchor for carrying wet crampons on the outside of a pack. This home-made crampon case will give durable, lightweight protection from the points. The jokers at Petzl and Black Diamond make these out of mesh and then charge you a seventh of the price of the crampons themselves.

When I say “we,” I mean I sewed and he watched!